Federation of BC Writers

Tammara Kennelly's passion for books and the written word started in youth when she would read anything she could get her hands on. This love continued to develop during her 5 years of employment with the local public library. She could often be found in the stacks poring over the books she shelved. But as Tammara completed her degree, she found herself being pulled into the world of banking and foreign exchange, where she spent the next 15 years. During this period Tammara completed her MBA with a specialization in leadership. In 2012 Tammara had the opportunity to return to books as the President of FriesenPress and has treasured the opportunity to lead this growing, thriving employee-owned business for the last 10 years. Extending her commitment to excellence in publishing, Tammara joined the Friesens Corporation Board in 2019, developing a deep knowledge of all things printed. While managing this thriving business keeps Tammara busy, she always finds time for her daughter and dog and enjoys hiking, cooking while sipping a fine Malbec and traveling like a local.

Janice has worked as an in-house editor in the Canadian publishing industry for more than twenty years. She began her publishing career at Coach House Books, followed by positions at several Canadian independents, including House of Anansi, where she was Senior Editor, Canadian Fiction, for three years, and Biblioasis where she launched a new non-fiction book series called “Untold Lives,” for marginalized voices and untold stories of Canadian history. Janice has edited a wide variety of award-winning and critically acclaimed fiction and non-fiction books in Canada, including, most recently, the #1 bestsellers, Five Little Indians by Michelle Good, winner of Canada Reads, and The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. In her previous editorial positions, she acquired and edited The Break by Katherena Vermette (Winner of the Amazon First Novel Award); The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall (Finalist for the Giller Prize); Siege 13 by Tomas Dobozy (Winner of the Writers’ Trust Award for Fiction); and Bush Runner: The Adventurers of Pierre Esprit Radisson by Mark Bourrie (Winner of the Charles Taylor Award for Creative Non-Fiction).